Thank you. The cost for what I've had done to that shoe is Â£500.00 That is for the following: Choice of leather, quality/color/finish Choice of lining and the oval window if you so wish Fiddle back Oak Bark sole, finished to your preference - painting and nail patterns. Heel built layer by layer by hand and top piece of your choice Sole edged to your choice Leather heel and toe stiffeners Hand lasted uppers. I collected these yesterday and was given a tour of the factory. I was shown in great detail the steps taken to create a shoe of this quality and they're worth every single penny.

Twas nice to see the latest offering from A.S. I'm sure we all recall the problems of A.S. only earlier this year...glad to see they are making what appears to be a stylish and well priced shoe. I see their waists have improved dramatically (thanks to a partnership with G&G), as Manton noted on his tour of Northampton over a year ago Groover, would you compare these shoes favorably with E.G.'s Dover?

I don't own a pair of Dover to run a true comparision, and, although they look the same the Dover has a handstitched apron and double sole whereas these do not. That said, when I was specifying the leather I requested the same as used by EG. The shoe is comfortable out of the box (worn for the 1st time for today for 8 hours including 4 miles of walking). It's not a particularly heavy shoe but feels solid. The linings are very comfortable and the insole is already moudling to my foot. The uppers feel very nice, as I said earlier the leather feels much better than my C&J handgrades. It's difficult to put it into words as it's very much a personal experience in feeling the leather. The sole finish is sublime and looks even better in the flesh, for the price I'm very very pleased and will return to AS for more styles. The whole experience with AS has been 1st class from the start and I can't recommend them highly enough. When you meet the people who make the shoes and you see for yourself the skill and dedication that goes into them you appreciate the product even more.

I don't own a pair of Dover to run a true comparision, and, although they look the same the Dover has a handstitched apron and double sole whereas these do not.

That said, when I was specifying the leather I requested the same as used by EG.

The shoe is comfortable out of the box (worn for the 1st time for today for 8 hours including 4 miles of walking). It's not a particularly heavy shoe but feels solid. The linings are very comfortable and the insole is already moudling to my foot.

The uppers feel very nice, as I said earlier the leather feels much better than my C&J handgrades. It's difficult to put it into words as it's very much a personal experience in feeling the leather.

The sole finish is sublime and looks even better in the flesh, for the price I'm very very pleased and will return to AS for more styles.

The whole experience with AS has been 1st class from the start and I can't recommend them highly enough. When you meet the people who make the shoes and you see for yourself the skill and dedication that goes into them you appreciate the product even more.

Unfortunately the trees are Barker, not Barker Black! They are split toe and fill the shoe nicely. I did see an example of a Barker Black tree when I visited Spring Line, and they were lasted, so I presume they are available somewhere.

Ahh, confusing nomenclature! I did see Barker Black trees on their site but wasn't sure where to order them.